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Where does the word "mahjong" come from? It comes from Chinese ma que, and was adopted directly into English (1920s).
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Where does the word "mahjong" come from? It comes from Chinese ma que, and was adopted directly into English (1920s).
Mahjong’s story begins in Chinese: ma que meant “sparrow.” Literally "sparrow", possibly describing the clicking sound of the tiles. It reached English by 1920s as mahjong. Joseph Babcock's simplified rules of 1920 launched an American mahjong craze. Today, mahjong means a tile-based game for four players, originating in China.
- Stage 1 · Chinese · 1800s ma que "sparrow", literally "sparrow", possibly describing the clicking sound of the tiles.
- Stage 2 · English · 1920s mahjong "a tile-based game for four players", Joseph Babcock's simplified rules of 1920 launched an American mahjong craze.